Wang, Hairong (2018) A middle class that cannot be the vanguard of democracy : understanding the Chinese middle class through its political support, political participation, and civic consciousness. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

China's potential to politically transition towards democracy has long been an important topic in the field of comparative political science. The country's economic reforms post-Maoism have profoundly changed the mode and speed of China's economic development, and this in turn significantly changed the Chinese social structure. The Chinese regime’s achievements of the modernization of the economic field are conspicuous, yet the modernization of its political field is stagnating. The elimination of presidential term limits in early 2018 may have pushed the prospect of substantial political reform at the government level further into the future.

Can the Chinese middle class act as a force for democratic change in this context? This thesis explores the potential political function of this newly emerged social stratum in China through the lens of modernization theory. By using a mixed-methods research design, it first conducts a quantitative empirical analysis that examines the political support, political participation, and civic awareness of the Chinese middle class both over time and in comparison to the lower class. Second, based on original material collected through semi-structured interviews, the project undertakes a qualitative inquiry into the ability and desire of members of the Chinese middle class to foster democratic change that

The thesis clearly demonstrates that the political support of the middle class in China for the current system of government has significantly declined over the last decade. At the same time, however, it shows that the political participation of the Chinese middle class is still very low when it comes to voting and the struggle for greater civil rights. I therefore argue that despite the dissatisfaction of the middle class with the limits on political participation and civil liberties, currently this social stratum has neither the ability nor a strong motivation to take up the role of democratic vanguard. This, however, may change should the China’s economic development be put to a hold to the extent that it disenfranchises the middle class.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races J Political Science > JQ Political institutions (Asia, Africa, Australia, Pacific Area, etc.)
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Middle class -- China, Middle class -- Political activity -- China, Democratization -- China, Social change -- China
Official Date:	August 2018
Dates:	Date Event August 2018 UNSPECIFIED
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Politics and International Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Format of File:	pdf
Extent:	vii, 216 leaves : illustrations (chiefly colour)
Language:	eng

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